Painted Tears
by george's firework
Summary: Charlie visits his family at Christmas, apparently just wanting to see the family but really he has another motive. CharliexLuna, set during Half-Blood Prince, T because I'm paranoid.
1. Who's To Say What's Impossible

**Shout out to everyone at Werepire Moon Resort, especially Hannah (Lady Katsa), Ella (TeardropsOfInception) and District (.Ariadne) who are amazing people and I love them very much.**

**This chapter is dedicated to District for being awesome and coming up with the name of Luna's owl ;D**

Precisely sixteen minutes past two on a cold December morning Luna Lovegood opened the trapdoor in her bedroom ceiling and climbed onto the roof of her childhood home. Shivers ran through her at the coldness of the stone, which reached her despite the thick stripy socks she was wearing, and she pulled her jacket closer around her as the wind blew.

The easel was exactly where'd she had left it of course - no-one could move something which had been stuck in place using a Permanent Sticking charm - and her brushes still sat in their little pot by the trapdoor.

Smiling she reached for her favourite brush, running her fingers over it lovingly as she noticed a small golden dot of paint which had not been there last night. The smile grew as she padded over to the easel, her eyes trained on the upper left part where something was trembling in the breeze.

The note was still pinned to the corner, it's whiteness contrasting with the dark background of the painting. She closed her eyes, mind filled with festive thoughts and hopes of what was to come the next day.

Pale fingers reached and pulled out the pin, caressing the paper as she read it again, a hunger in her large eyes replacing the dreaminess which had been there in her schooldays. The note slipped into her pocket.

A soft curse word was carried away by the wind as Luna noticed her paints had frozen yet again. With a frown creasing her blonde brows she pulled her wand out of her left sock. It was an odd wand; longer than most at 17 and ¾ inches and it was so pale most people thought it was white. Intricate carvings traced their way up and down the length.

She flicked it in a complicated pattern and heat streamed out; melting the frozen paints instantly. Luna's perfect white teeth flashed in the moonlight and she set to work, barely noticing as her handsome barn owl settled beside her.

He hooted softly and she jumped, dropping the brush.

"Oh Skitchel, you startled me!" she chastised, noticing the letter that was tied securely to his scaly leg. "Who on earth is writing to me at this time of night?" He hooted again and flapped his wings a couple of times.

Sighing she pulled the letter off his leg and smiled as he nipped her finger affectionately before flying off to hunt.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A few miles away Charlie Weasley jerked awake with a grunt, his eyes blinking rapidly in the light which had suddenly filled his room. A groan left his mouth as he glanced blearily at the clock on his bedside table and rolled out of bed, feet landing on the floor with a soft thud.

"Damn it," he mumbled as he heard one of his brothers stir next door. He tensed, holding his breath and waiting for whoever it was to run into his room and stop him from leaving. Several minutes passed before loud snores sounded and Charlie relaxed.

A flick of his wand dimmed the light so he could still see but so it wasn't blinding him with it's brightness. It only took moments for him to be fully dressed and he crept down into the kitchen, padding silently across to where they kept the shoes. Thankfully he didn't trip over anything, although he nearly stood on the cat which hissed at him and flew under the table. He heard the soft rustle of feathers and glanced across to the window where a handsome barn owl was standing. Frowning he put his shoe down and walked over to the owl.

"Hey Skitchel," he murmured, letting the owl hop onto his arm. "What are you doing here?" The owl hooted rather loudly and he grimaced.

Noticing there was no letter tied to the owl's leg he carried him over to the stand where Errol was balanced precariously. He ran his fingers through the soft feathers on Skitchel's back as he set him down, then went back over to the shoes and picked his up again.

He had managed to get his left foot into the right shoe without falling over when the light flicked on.

"And where-"

"-do you think-"

"-you're going?"

He turned slowly to face his brothers who were smirking identically from their seats on the table. The twins were unmistakeable even in the dark. Both had stretched out their long legs in front of them and had crossed their arms over their chests. Their red hair was tousled, telling Charlie that they had just climbed out of bed and the dim light showed him bleary eyes. Not that he could judge, he'd had a similar appearance for the past week.

"Fred and George," Charlie acknowledged. "What are you guys doing down here at," he checked his watch, "half past two in the morning?"

"We could ask you the same question," they chimed together, raising their eyebrows simultaneously.

"Well, I asked first so you should answer first." The twins stood up and started to pace in unison, arms folded behind their backs.

"Sneaking out again?"

"Going where you go every night?"

"We've been watching, Charlie."

"We know you disappear."

"And then come back the next morning -"

"-acting like you were in bed the whole time."

"You're just lucky we very kindly haven't told anyone, though we should." Charlie groaned, rubbing his eyes heavily. This was why he hated Christmas with the family. Fred and George's room was right beneath his; meaning they could hear him moving about and of course they were the pranksters. They looked for any excuse to pull a prank. This would be perfect; bust the older, supposedly more responsible brother for sneaking out every night.

"Fred, maybe it's about time we had a talk with our brother."

"George, I've been thinking exactly the same." They turned to him at exactly the same time.

"Sit down Charlie."


	2. Like A Butterfly Who Lost His Soul

**Sorry 'bout the wait, I'm terrible when it comes to regular updates. Enjoy and please visit Werepire Moon Resort, unless you have an extreme hatred of Twilight of course ;)**

"Fred. Fred!" Fred groaned, rubbing his eyes as his brother shook him quickly.

"Wha'?" he mumbled intelligently. "Is it time for school?"

"No, idiot." Fred faintly saw his twin's eyes roll in the dim light. "Charlie's up again. Want to go bust him?"

"Sure. I reckon we should have a little chat with him. Apparently the brain works best in the morning so we should get a message to sink in fairly quickly."

"Gred you are something of a genius."

"Why thank you Forge. Let's go lecture our brother."

The two made their way silently downstairs and sat themselves happily on the kitchen table, propping their long legs on chairs as they waited for their brother. Presently Charlie arrived, not noticing them as he was too preoccupied attempting not to trip over the cat.

Both twins frowned as Charlie wandered over to the window - rather than immediately putting his shoes on as he usually did - and let an owl in, one they didn't recognise. He greeted it in a soft voice before transferring it to the stand Errol was perched unsteadily on and crossing the room to put his shoes on.

George pulled out his wand and flicked it at the light. Charlie froze and both guys smirked.

"And where-" Fred began.

"-do you think-" George took up the sentence.

"-you're going?" The twins finished off together as their brother turned slowly to face them, a guilty smile on his face. Several minutes later Charlie was sitting at the table, looking up at them slightly nervously. Both twins grinned wickedly.

"So, how long have you been having these secret meetings with her?" George asked, not looking away from Charlie who shifted in discomfort.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he mumbled.

"Like hell you don't. As we've already said, we know you sneak out every night," Fred replied fairly loudly.

"And trust us, we know where you've been going."

"Do you two make a habit of stalking people?" Charlie asked with a scowl, his voice still full of sleep.

"Yes." Charlie's eyes widened and he looked at them questioningly. "That's a story for another night so shut up and listen to our lecture."

"Yes sir…" Charlie mumbled and the twin's looked at each other with resigned faces.

"Charlie, we were going to talk about this nicely."

"But you leave us no choice."

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Fred and I made the decision that we would discuss this as adults; in a calm and civilised manner but this back talk…"

"This cheek! It has forced us to change our minds."

"Charlie."

"Brother Charlie."

Charlie looked up nervously, somehow getting the feeling his brothers won't joking.

"You aren't allowed to go… there anymore Charlie."

And with those words, every single lock on the windows and doors flipped shut and metal shutters slammed down over Charlie's windows.

"Are. You. Kidding."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Luna paced in agitation, not caring that her feet felt like blocks of ice and that her paints had frozen again. It was now nearly half past three and she was worried; he'd never been late before. Sure, he'd sometimes been a few minutes later than he said but not an hour. Never an hour.

She groaned and threw herself down onto the stone, where she curled her legs up to her chest and set her head on her knees. With a soft whimper she began to cry.

"_Luna! Luna!" Ginny's voice carried through the trees to Luna's hiding place. "Luna, where are you? It's tea time."_

_Luna smiled to herself, just a slight smile but it was enough to light up the face of the five year old. She knew this was just one of Ginny's tricks, so she would come out of the trees and Ginny would win, like she always did._

_But not this time, this time Luna was determined not to lose._

"_Luna?" Ginny shouted again, then Luna heard her sigh loudly and walk away. The smile on her face grew with satisfaction._

_The leaves on the tree rustled as Luna adjusted herself until she was comfortable. She shivered slightly, wondering when it had started to get colder. A close look at the leaves told her autumn was coming in full force._

_There was a shout of laughter from below and Luna jumped, looking down to see four of the Weasley brothers; Bill, Charlie, Fred and George. Bill and Charlie were slightly ahead, talking about what they were going to do at Hogwarts this year. It was August 24__th__ 1986, two days after Percy's 10__th__ birthday, and they were going back to school the following Monday._

_Fred and George were attempting to keep up but the legs of the eight year olds couldn't keep up with those of their older brothers._

"_Charlie, will you be on the Quidditch team again this year?" one of them asked in an attempt to be included in the conversation._

"_I have no idea George, I won't find out until I get back to school," Charlie replied with a chuckle and Luna frowned, silently questioning how he could tell them apart._

"_Of course he will be," Bill's deep voice made Luna's eyes go wide. She hadn't heard him speak in a long time, and last time his voice had been high and squeaky. "He just kicked all our arses back there, didn't he?"_

"_Whatever Mr Prefect," Fred, was it Fred?, piped up. "He didn't beat me or George, you're just sore you couldn't save one thing he put past you."_

"_Ouch. Bill, you just got burned by an eight year old," Charlie laughed and the boys moved away, Bill shoving Charlie playfully._

_Luna sighed and fidgeted again until she was happy with how she was sitting. Her young mind started coming up with fun things for her to think about and she drifted into an imaginary world._

_A couple of hours later a flash of long red hair flew into the kitchen, nearly knocking over Ron who was following his mother closely, wanting food. All the other members of the Weasley family, minus Arthur, were gathered around the table bantering in the way that brothers do. Percy scowled at the noise and disappeared upstairs with his book._

"_Oi, watch it!" Ron cried, frowning at his younger sister as his mother fussed over him, asking if he'd bumped his head or scraped his knee. Ginny rolled her eyes._

"_Hello! We have more important things to worry about than that idiot!" Ginny's outburst caused a unanimous laugh from the table and Ron, having been abandoned, sighed and went to heckle Percy._

"_What's wrong dear?" Molly asked absently, turning to make sure the soup wasn't bubbling over._

"_Luna is missing!" Ginny babbled. "We were playing hide and seek and I tried to trick her to come out by saying it was tea time but she didn't come, for once, and so I kept looking and I've been looking for a couple of hours and now it actually is tea time and I don't know where she is!" The babbles turned into hysterical little wails and all the boys frowned in confusion, trying to make out what was distressing their little sister so much._

"_Ginny, Ginny, shush now dear," Molly said comfortingly, bending down to her daughter's level and wiping away a stray tear. "I'm sure she hasn't gone far but we'll find her. Oh sweetheart, you're freezing. Go and sit by the fire and I'll send your brothers out to look for her."_

_Sniffling, Ginny obeyed her mother and sat before the fire, holding her hands out to warm them as the cat climbed into her lap, purring happily._

"_Charlie, Bill, come with me to look for Luna. Fred, George, stay here and don't upset your sister. When your father gets here, tell him where we'll be."_

"_Okay," the twins chorused, then looked at each other before looking back at their mother. "But where will you be?"_

"_Excellent point boys," Bill said, walking over to his sister and squatting down beside her. "Ginny, where were you playing?"_

"_In the orchard," Ginny mumbled, hiding her face. Bill nodded, ruffled her hair and stood up to follow his mother and Charlie into the orchard._

_Molly Weasley strode through the trees, glancing anxiously into the lower branches of each one and at the ground surrounding the trunks. Luna was such a tiny thing, far too small to be outside by herself at this time. The poor thing was probably terrified out of her wits. Why children felt the need to play games where they hid for fun was beyond her. It just led to confusion and upset later._

_What Xenophilius and Anita would think was beyond her, she'd promised to take care of Luna and now she'd gone and lost their child._

_Charlie sighed softly, picking his way through the orchard. He didn't make a habit of concerning himself with his sister and her friends but he had a soft spot for Luna. She was just so small and she always looked so lost. Sometimes he just wanted to swathe her in bubble wrap and not let her do anything that could cause her harm._

_Suddenly there was a slight thump to his left. Charlie froze, listening hard to see if he'd just imagined it. A small rustle told him he hadn't and he started to walk towards the sounds. Soft whimpers started coming through the trees and he walked faster._

_Luna was curled up on the ground, lips puckered as she frowned at her leg. Charlie stopped, not sure what to do, and his brows creased in concern as Luna attempted to stand up but failed, plopping back to the ground with a thump and a rustle, letting out a small whimper. However this whimper turned into a wail and tears started to roll down the little girl's face._

_At this, Charlie started to move forwards again until he reached Luna's side. She looked up, eyes wide with panic until she realised who it was. He crouched down and looked at her leg which was at a strange angle._

"_What happened?" he asked softly and Luna burst into tears. "Hey, hey. It's alright. Calm down, Luna."_

"_P-p-p-playing hide and s-s-seek and I f-f-ell outta the tree," she wailed and he sighed before scooping her up into his arms. She was as light as a feather._

"_Don't worry," he said as brightly as he could manage. "We'll get you inside and Mum'll have you fixed in a minute."_

Luna smiled to herself, remembering back when everything was so easy and they could all be friends without any judgements. Then she sighed. She missed those times so much.


	3. Crayola Skies

"Is this some sort of joke, or something?" Charlie spluttered, glaring at the twins. They looked at each other and shrugged before looking back.

"Or something," they chorused making Charlie groan.

"You guys aren't both supposed to go bad cop on my ass. There's supposed to be one good cop and one bad cop."

"Bad… huh?"

"Good… what?"

Charlie squinted at his brothers in the dim light of the kitchen, wondering if they were having him on. It must have been about three o'clock in the morning so it was still dark outside, and the lamp George had turned on wasn't the brightest. Groaning, he rubbed his eyes and then opened them again to see that, yes, this was all happening and, no, it wasn't a dream. His brothers really were in the kitchen, lecturing him and locking him into the house.

"It's a Muggle thing," he replied, not bothered to explain. "Remind me why you're doing this?"

"Charlie, we're just worried about you."

"Like hell you are, stop talking shit and tell me the truth."

The twins looked at each other, blue into blue as they had one of their psychic twin conversations. Charlie had always been one of the only people able to tell the two apart - if you looked closely you would notice Fred's eyes were always brighter than George's and George had a tiny birthmark the shape of a star below his left ear but where barely anyone noticed it due to the hair that partially covered it. Most people just gave them passive glances and didn't bother attempting to tell them apart, some tried to, failed miserably and gave up and a rare couple of people actually bothered to learn the few tiny differences between the twins. Having been quite close to the twins growing up, Charlie was one of those people.

"Charlie? Charlie? Stop staring at me, it's creeping me out," George complained.

"You asked us to tell you the truth and we're giving it to you, you just aren't listening," Fred grumbled, frowning at his older brother.

"Right, sorry. What were you saying?"

"We actually are worried about you. Luna's insane, she might slip you something or push you off the top of that weird house she lives in. Come on Charlie, the girl thinks Crumple Horned Snorkacks exist and she wears a vegetable around her neck."

"Wow, and here was me thinking you were the good brothers, who didn't judge people on their appearance or what they believed in. You guys might want to remember her mother died. And might I remind you that you used to play with her quite happily when you were younger?" Charlie stood up scowling. "Luna may appear to be a bit odd but you and I both know she's more sane than most of the other people that age we know. She _sees _things. She has such a clear view of the world that I wonder how she doesn't constantly have breakdowns due to the horrible things she sees that nobody else notices. You two should be ashamed of yourselves for even criticising her in the first place."

Without realising it Charlie had walked over to the backdoor and was pulling on his shoes.

"What's the point Charlie? You won't be able to open the door." The twins had appeared either side of him and he swallowed slightly as he saw how tall they were compared to him. But he was stronger and had more experience.

"And we've chained your broom up so you won't be able to fly."

Charlie pulled out his wand.

"You wouldn't."

"Try me," he growled. The faint light reflected off the dark wood of his mahogany wand and he couldn't help but smile as he remembered buying it a couple of years before. He'd waved pretty much every wand in the shop and his arm had been completely exhausted. He remembered the feeling of his stomach dropping as Ollivander told him there were no wands left to wave, then the small feeling of hope as his father had pointed out a small black box which was stuck between shelves.

"Ah yes, mahogany, unusually long for a wand at sixteen inches, the core is Chimaera scale which is very, very rare. Pleasantly springy," Ollivander had commented in his distant voice, handing it over for Charlie to wave. Immediately a warmth had filled him, something he had never felt with his first wand. He waved it while thinking _'Orchideous' _and a bunch of beautiful flowers had flown from the tip, all strange colours he had never seen in flowers before.

"Charlie, put your wand down." Wands had appeared in both of the twins' hands now but Charlie didn't back down.

"We both know I'm better than you at hexing," he challenged. "Unlock the door or I will stick you together with a Permanent Sticking Charm - then you'd have to do everything together."

"Charlie, we're your brothers."

"Are you honestly choosing a girl over us?"

"After what you said about her, yes. Open the door," Charlie ordered, glaring at them both and not lowering his wand an inch. Fred back towards the door slowly, not taking his eyes off Charlie's wand. He reached the door and turned nervously, muttering a small spell and whirling back round as the lock clicked.

"Good boy, you can follow a simple order," Charlie muttered, scowling as Fred's eyes narrowed and he raised his wand again. "Incarcerous." Charlie said quickly, whipping his wand at Fred and then behind him to George.

"What? Hey, no fair!" George protested, struggling against the ropes that had appeared from Charlie's wand to bind him. "We unlocked the door, didn't we?"

"Yes, but knowing you two, the second I'd gone you would have cast some sort of spell to prevent me from going." Charlie turned to leave, then thought twice and picked up their wands, pocketing them.

"Oi!"

"Give those back!"

"Don't worry guys, I'll be back before dawn to untie you and give them back before anyone finds you like this. I am sorry, I hate having to do this to my own brothers… but no-one gets away with insulting Luna." With that, Charlie turned and walked out the door.

"You've forgotten something," Fred yelled and Charlie stopped.

"And what would that be?"

"We chained up your broom, remember? It's not even in the shed anymore."

Charlie scoffed, turned fully to face his brothers.

"I may have landed on some 'poor old dear doing her shopping' the first time, but I passed my Apparition test with full marks the second time."

There was a quiet crack and Charlie disappeared, chuckling at the image of the twins hopping towards each other with identical scowls on their faces as they attempted to untie each other.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After about half an hour Luna picked herself and dried her tears on the sleeve of her cardigan. She pulled out her wand and waved it in the same complicated pattern to unfreeze both her paints and her feet. Another tear ran down her face before she could stop it, freezing before it could reach the palette in her hand. It stayed there, mingling with the colours to make a watery blue instead of the strong blue she wanted. Cursing, she reached for a tissue then stopped and picked up a brush instead. She took her current painting down and picked up a fresh canvas, glad she had thought to keep a spare up here. Had she gone down to get one she probably never would have come out again.

Gingerly she dipped her brush into the watery blue and made a tentative stroke on the canvas, frowning as it came out much bolder than she had expected. The tissue swept across the canvas, more water was added and she made another stroke, smiling at the results. Within a few moments she was completely absorbed in her work, adding more water here, wiping with the tissue there and adding a few bold streaks of red in the middle. Soon enough, the rough shape of a face had appeared.


	4. Keep You With Me, In My Heart

"Fred, it would appear we're in a bit of a pickle."

"George, we're in the Burrow. And last time I checked, our house is not green, bumpy and sour."

"Funny. It may not be green or sour, but it is kind of bumpy."

"What? No it isn't… gah! Stop distracting me, I'm trying to untie you."

Had an outsider been looking through the kitchen window of the Burrow, they would have seen an entertaining spectacle. Whilst attempting to untie each other, something never best done at the same time, the boys had managed to tie themselves together and tightening the knots until they were absolutely tiny and damn near impossible to unpick. Both boys were equally frustrated, something obvious from the quiet swearing that was breaking the silence of the night. The ropes tying them together were worn and frayed, making them that much more uncomfortable.

"What the hell was Charlie thinking when he conjured these ropes?" Fred hissed in annoyance, his thumbs rubbed raw from his attempts to free George. "I swear, if they were any older they'd be as sharp as bloody knives."

"Feels like that anyway," George replied, scowling as one of the ropes bit into his wrist. "How's it looking?"

"I'd be able to see it easier if we had some decent light in here," Fred growled, flinching as a bit of blood appeared on his brother's wrist and George let out a sharp breath of pain. "Sorry, it slipped."

"I've had worse. As for the light thing, do you want someone to find us down here?" As if his words had been shouted to the world, there was a creak and then a light appeared at the top of the stairs. Small, white slippers appeared, followed by pale blue pyjama trousers, partially covered by a long pink dressing gown. A darker blue top followed, the straps covered by long red hair as Ginny Weasley came fully into view. Her brown eyes were half shut and there were random bits of hair sticking out of the top of her head but she could obviously see clearly as she frowned and padded over to the twins.

"What are you doing down here?" She mumbled sleepily, not taking in the ropes around their wrists.

"Nothing."

"Just chilling."

"Relaxing."

"Not that it would be any of your business anyway," the twins babbled, forcing looks of cool composure onto their faces and attempting to hide their hands as Ginny shrugged and turned away, looking for something.

"Why are you down here at this time of night?"

"I want a drink," Ginny replied in an annoyed tone, turning back to face her brothers with a glass of water in her hand. Her eyebrows creased and she rubbed at her eyes with her free hand before blinking and looking closely at the twins. Brown eyes met blue, darted down to look at rope-bound hands and then darted back up to meet a brighter pair of blue.

"Are you guys…?" she didn't have time to finish before the twins had moved over to her and somehow got a hand over her mouth. Not even the twins were sure whose hand it was.

"Don't say it."

"It's not what it looks like."

"Wait… that depends."

"What does it look like?" The hand was slowly lowered and Ginny glared at her brothers.

"It looks like you two idiots are tied together by an old and painful-looking rope," she said, silently adding 'duh' but it didn't need to be silent as it was obvious in her tone. "Fancy telling me _why _you're tied together with an old and painful-looking rope?"

"Sure, if you actually get us out of said old and indeed very painful rope."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Charlie reappeared silently, right where he wanted to be. He pushed open the gate, wincing at the quiet squeak which always happened. The garden he walked into was completely silent, Skitchel obviously hadn't returned yet. A soft breeze rustled the leaves of the plants as Charlie stepped off the path and walked past the Dirigible Plum bush, smiling at the sign he had helped Luna paint all those years ago. He remembered her as a shy, but slightly bossy, nine year old. She had been so happy and full of life before her mother died. Charlie winced involuntarily at the memory but continued his journey around the house until he came to a place with holes in the wall, leading all the way up to the roof where he saw a slight flash of blonde hair, glowing in the moonlight.

"Luna," he hissed, cupping his hands around his mouth to make the sound travel. The blonde hair froze and he sighed as he started to make his way carefully up the side of the circular house. He had done this so many times he could probably do it with his eyes closed now but he'd rather not; nobody knew but he had a small fear of heights unless he was on a broomstick - or some other form of flying. Then he was free.

"I thought you weren't coming," Luna murmured when he had pulled himself over the wall which was there purely for safety, though Luna had been known to sit on it when she was upset. She had turned away from him, her arms wrapped around herself but Charlie could see the side of her face, see how her eyes sparkled, see the tear tracks glistening on her cheeks.

"Oh, Luna," Charlie said softly, making his way over to her and wrapping his arms around her from behind. "I'm sorry, dragostea mea*****," he sighed, hoping the old phrase would make her look at him, at least. He gently lifted a hand and used his thumb to wipe away another tear which had appeared. A frown emerged on his face and he looked at her carefully, noting the way her breath was visible in the night air.

"Luna, how long have you been out here? You're freezing." Gently he let go of her and took one of her tiny hands, leading her back to the trapdoor and making sure she was securely back in her bedroom before he followed her down.

"I thought, if I waited, you'd come. And then I started painting but then I couldn't do anymore to it until it was dry and I couldn't face going back inside," Luna breathed, silvery eyes still sparkling with unshed tears. "What took you so long?"

"My brothers decided tonight was the night to turn into my mother and demand I stop sneaking out at night. However, it wasn't because they were concerned about my safety, as Mum would have been, and I hate to even think about this, let alone tell you, but they tried to lock me in the house so I wouldn't come and see you." Charlie had sat on the bed by this point and pulled Luna into his arms, wrapping her duvet securely around her in an attempt to warm her up.

"By your brothers you mean...?" Luna whispered, trembling slightly as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"Fred and George. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you."

"No, it's okay." Luna's voice was muffled and a slight dampness on his shirt told him she was crying again. "I've had worse insults and they haven't hurt me because I don't care..."

"Luna, it is in no way okay. Don't lie to me, please. I know this is hurting you, because they're my brothers." Charlie stroked her hair, running his fingers through the long golden waves and marvelling at the silkiness.

_A six year old Luna came running into the lounge, big grey eyes filled with tears._

_"Charlie?" she asked in her adorable little crooning voice. "Have you seen Ginny?"_

_"Umm, she went up to her room about five minutes ago with Mum. Is everything alright, Luna?" he asked in concern, looking carefully at the little girl for any obvious signs of injury._

_"Thank you," Luna replied with a slight lisp, then shook her head in answer to his question before pelting out of the room and up the stairs. Moments later he heard the door of Ginny's room open and close, his mother exclaiming something in dismay and then the sound of Luna's cries; so different to those of his tough little sister._

_"Mum, what's wrong?" Percy asked when their mother finally came back down the stairs, looking upset. She shook her head and looked towards the doorway with worry. A tiny blonde head poked round the corner, followed by a brighter, red one. Both heads disappeared when they realised they'd been spotted and there were a few minutes of whispered conversation before Ginny dashed into the living room._

_"Luna asks you to please not laugh at her," she announced, her chin high and her face set, glowering at her brothers as if daring them to defy her._

_"But why...?" Charlie's question went unfinished as Luna stepped around the corner, eyes trained on the ground. Her beautiful long hair had been cut and now swung just above her shoulders. Charlie had never seen a more pitiful sight as Luna automatically reached to play with her hair then stopped as she realised it wasn't there anymore. Small curls stuck out on top of her head and all of the brothers gazed at her. Ron snorted._

_"You look like a duck," he commented randomly and Ginny whacked him around the head as Luna looked up, eyes swimming. Charlie shifted in his seat and Luna's head snapped towards him, silver looking into blue for a split second before she turned and ran out of the house._

_"Ron, you idiot," Ginny yelled over her shoulder, running after her friend._

"What are you thinking about?" Luna mumbled, lifting her head from his shoulder so her now dry eyes could look into his.

"That time when you were six and Ginny got annoyed at you for something and accidentally used infant magic to tangle your hair up so much it had to be cut off."

"And Ron laughed and said I looked like a duck, of all things." Luna gave a watery chuckle at the memory.

"When Ginny came back she gave him a good beating for that. She was so angry all her hair stood on end and she managed to make a pillow beat Ron all the way up the stairs. It freaked Mum out so much she Flooed to Hogwarts and started harassing Dumbledore about her children growing up too fast. It was hilarious." Charlie smiled as Luna started to laugh quietly, a real laugh. Soon he joined her and the two were rolling about on the bed before Luna gasped.

"I've just remembered my dad's downstairs," she giggled, biting her lip to hold in the laughter. Charlie smiled fondly at her and pulled her closer, ducking his head to give her a tender kiss. Luna pulled away with a happy sigh after a minute then frowned.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Do you really think we should tell everyone about us tomorrow? Especially now after Fred and George have made their feelings about me known? Don't get me wrong, I hate keeping secrets from Ginny and I'm sure you hate hiding something from your family and I hate the fact that we have to keep us secret, but are you sure?" She said quietly. Charlie rolled onto his back, keeping one arm around Luna and using the other one as a pillow for his head.

"Luna, we don't have to do anything you don't want to do. I just thought tomorrow would be a good opportunity, seeing as you've been invited over for dinner and all."

"About that..." Luna muttered. "Dad is ill, so he's not coming. I sent Skitchel to your Mum yesterday morning to tell her to set one less place at the table, but now that I think about it I don't want to leave him alone on Christmas. Christmas is about spending time with your family, you know? I'm sorry Charlie, once again I hate keeping this secret but I can't leave him," Luna babbled, slightly hysterically.

"Luna, Luna love calm down. I understand," Charlie said soothingly, stroking her hair again until she settled down.

"Okay," she whispered, settling her head on his chest and closing her eyes. Charlie fell asleep moments after she did, his fingers still tangled in her hair.

A couple of hours later Charlie woke up and looked around in confusion before realising he was in Luna's room and the weight on his chest was Luna herself. He shook her gently, propping himself up on one elbow.

"What's going on?" Luna mumbled sleepily, blinking at him with a perplexed expression on her face.

"I need to go, it's going to be getting light soon," Charlie explained, yawning slowly.

"Mkay. Will you come tomorrow night so I can give you your Christmas present?"

"Of course, I need to give you yours." Charlie stood up, then bent down and kissed her softly. Luna's arms went up around his neck and there were a few long minutes of silence before the couple broke apart and smiled at each other in the soft light which always seemed to be present in Luna's room. Charlie sighed and turned to go, then stopped and went back, pulling Luna upright and wrapping his arms around her so he could kiss her properly. Luna complied quite happily, her arms going back round his neck so her fingers could tangle in his hair as he pulled her closer, somewhat desperately.

Charlie pulled away first and Luna pouted at him, her hum of content suddenly ending.

"Sorry Luna, but if we kept kissing I wouldn't be able to stop and neither of us are ready for that." She nodded and kissed him fleetingly once more.

"Goodnight Charlie."

"Goodnight Luna."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

*** 'dragostea mea' means my love, according to Google Translate. If there are people who speak Romanian reading this, and I'm wrong please tell me, and I'm incredibly sorry if I've offended you instead.**


	5. I'm Clueless And I'm Clumsy

"So, let me get this straight. You guys have been spying on Charlie for the past couple of days and have followed him to wherever it is he's been going at night. Seeing that he has been going to the Lovegood's house, you automatically assume that he is in a relationship with Luna and then confirm this suspicion by reading his letters, which, by the way, is illegal if they're unopened. With the knowledge that your brother is indeed seeing my friend, Luna Lovegood, you decide to have a chat with Charlie and lock him into the house which quite obviously didn't work seeing as you were tied up, wandless, and Charlie's shoes are missing." Ginny gestured to the shoe rack then looked at her brothers with a delicate eyebrow raised.

"Yes, that story is indeed correct."

"Do you have a point you were working up to?" The twins looked at her innocently and Ginny growled, standing up to walk over to the window. She gazed out of it, absently stroking Skitchel's back. Fred and George peered at her anxiously, both jumping as she turned back to them and her eyes flashed due to both the moonlight and the, still faint, light in the kitchen.

"You guys are both idiots," Ginny concluded, the familiar 'dare-to-argue-and-I'll-hex-you-into-next-week' look prominent on her pale face. It was very obvious she was her mother's daughter. Thankfully the kitchen door opened before either of the twins could say anything that would make her hex them.

"Ginny, what are you doing down here?" Charlie asked, pulling off his shoes and his jacket. He eyed the twins shrewdly, taking in the obvious lack of rope. His hand went into his pocket and he slowly handed two wands back to the respective owners. Ginny turned to him, scrutinising him warily, her hands obviously out of her pockets, standing in a neutral position which was neither threatening nor defensive. Charlie stood in a similar way.

"I came down to get a drink and found these two morons down here, tied up by an old and very painful-looking rope."

"It wasn't just pain-looking," the twins interrupted, receiving glares from both their siblings in exchange for their troubles.

"And they surely told you their side of why they were tied up," Charlie said grimly, his jaw set as he scowled at Fred and George who held up their hands in identical defence.

"They did, once I'd vanished the ropes which would have kept them occupied all night, due to you taking their wands. Despite them telling the story in a light which was supposed to make them sound good, I'm still siding with you Charlie. You have a right to date whoever you like and it's not like you can control your heart when it comes to these things. These two are just jealous because they've never had proper girlfriends."

"Thanks Gin, I knew you'd be supportive," Charlie said, giving his sister a rough hug and smiling at her thankfully. "Sorry we didn't tell you."

"It's alright. Now, I'll leave you to deal with the twats, I need to sleep." Ginny waggled her fingers at them and disappeared upstairs.

"Now Charlie, don't do anything rash..." Fred said, swallowing nervously in tandem with George.

"Remember, we are your brothers..."

"And we've thought about our actions..."

"And realised how terrible they were..."

"Basically, we're sorry."

"I don't believe you for a second but at least you pretended to apologise. Now, I'm going to follow our wise sister's example and go to bed." Charlie sighed, shook his head at them with a frown and trooped up the narrow staircase, quietly so as not to wake anyone.

Fred and George sat, speechless for once. Over by the window Skitchel pulled his head from beneath his wing and hooted balefully at them, seemingly annoyed at them for being silent. Either that or he was a very smart owl and understood what was going on. The owl stretched his wings, showing off beautiful caramel coloured feathers on the underside of his dark chocolate wings and he hooted softly again before turning and flying gracefully out the window into the very slowly brightening morning. From what they could see, the sky was cloudy and overcast and even as they watched, small white flakes began to fall.

"You know George, if we were Divination nerds I would say this is a prophecy of what is to come," Fred commented thoughtfully from his perch by the kettle.

"Fred, normally I would agree with you. But I don't have a clue what you mean so I'll stay quiet. You were always the better one with future-telling and that kinda crap."

"I mean, it looks like we're in for a storm with this whole conflict. Especially now that Charlie has Ginny on his side. I'm betting Mum and Dad will side with Charlie too, Percy won't side with anyone because he doesn't care about his family, Bill will side with Charlie because they were always the closest and I have no idea about Ron. Basically we're outnumbered and it isn't looking good for us."

"True that but Ron never really has liked Loony that much, there's a possibility he might, especially now he's with a certain Miss Brown. I've heard things about her dislike for the Lovegoods, says they're freaks. And if all else fails we could bribe him with some of our best products..."

"Or blackmail him with some of our worst. I do like the way you think Gred."

"Back at you Forge, but right now the only thing on my mind is sleep."

"Agreeing there."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Some 170 miles away, Dean Thomas awoke with a start in his London home. He rubbed his eyes blearily and looked around, wondering what had caused him to wake at such an early hour. His room was just as it had been before he had fallen asleep, in a state of disarray with clothes and school things everywhere. West Ham posters dotted the walls, stationary as they had ever been. The only thing to give away that Dean Thomas was not a normal boy was the cauldron in the corner, the odd names of his schoolbooks and the slender rod of polished wood on his bedside table. The smooth oak of the wand glittered slightly as Dean turned on his beside lamp and frowned as he examined his room once again. Suddenly his confused expression cleared and he climbed out of bed, careful not to step on anything on his way over to the window.

A handsome eagle owl was perched on the window sill of his room, in the London suburbs which were still busy at the time of night. Wincing, Dean quickly opened the window and allowed the owl to hop inside before, hopefully, anyone saw. The handsome owl regarded him imperiously and preened itself, seeming not to like being in the same room as a boy who was anything but pureblood.

"Guess pets are like their owners," Dean muttered, edging tentatively closer to the owl, eyeing his sharp beak. "What's your master want today, eh Caesar?" The owl stuck out its scaly leg and Dean automatically untied the scroll that was wrapped tightly with green ribbon. Once happy that Dean had the scroll in his possession, Caesar nipped his finger hard and flew off through the open window.

"Ouch," Dean hissed, examining his finger and swiftly setting the scroll down before he got blood on it. "Bugger," he cursed, stomping out of the door and into the bathroom so he could run his finger under the tap. One plaster later and he was back in his room.

The bedsprings creaked in their usual ear-wrenching way as Dean sat down, folding his long legs beneath him. His dark fingers reached for his wand and he ran it along the seam of the letter, putting it down beside him absently as he scanned the contents of the now flat scroll. A crease was formed on his head as his eyebrows pushed together and he frowned unhappily.

_Hey Thomas,_

_Ha, funny. I can call you by your second name and it still sounds like I could be calling you by your first name. Never noticed that before, I might have to make use of that more often. That could be hilarious, imagine how confused people would get. Especially that dear little girlfriend of yours._

_Speaking of, how is the red-head? I hope she's satisfying you, Thomas. Then again, if she isn't I'm happy to take her off your hands. But then, we both know I'll do that anyway if you don't do as I say._

_I hope you've been working hard because I need to get this over and done with sooner rather than later. Read carefully, these next few sentences are a matter of life or death for me and a matter of you being single or not in your case._

_Now, I've been writing to you for what, two months now? Telling you all the ways I could blackmail you into doing things, and obviously the one which really hit home was the threat of me taking the charming Ginny Weasley away from you. Not that Potter couldn't do that single-handedly if he wanted to but that's not the point._

_The point of this letter is to tell you just why I have been telling you ways I could make your life hell for no apparent reason. See, I always have reasons for my actions. The thing is, I need your help Thomas. Don't you dare tell anyone or I will make your life into the hell I described for you a week ago._

_I've been watching you and something occurred to me, something I've had difficulty coming to terms with but we all have to face our problems. You're actually pretty good at casting spells and I need a good caster who won't ask any questions or make any trouble. I picked you because you're an easy blackmail target._

_You'll agree, I know you will, but I want a written answer anyway. Then I'll send my actual instructions._

_Remember, Thomas, I can turn your life into a living nightmare._

The letter was unsigned but Dean knew who it was from, having been receiving letters from the same person a couple of weeks into the start of term. With a groan he threw himself backwards on his bed, the letter flying from his hand to rest on the floor as he fell asleep with images of eagle owls, letters and his girlfriend floating around his head.


	6. My Momma's Still My Biggest Fan

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine but the plot, and most of the words and a tube full of Smarties. I borrowed some quotes from JKR, I take no credit for them.**

_Green eyes, like emeralds. Messy black hair, the colour of soot, but in a good way. Round, slightly crooked, spectacles set on a nose devoid of freckles._

_Merlin he was so handsome... what was that? Beneath his fringe? No, it couldn't be._

_"Ginny dear, hurry up you're loitering. People are trying to get places." Ginny snapped out of her reverie and looked up at her mother, blinking her brown eyes innocently._

_"Sorry mum, just that boy over there looks lost."_

_"Well he's probably just a Muggle Ginny, now what's the platform number?"_

_"Nine and three-quarters!" Ginny piped, forgetting about the boy in an instant. "Mum, can't I go..."_

_"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet..." Ginny sighed and fell silent as her mother wished. Every year she asked the same question, since she'd been old enough to understand. Her attention started to wander as her mother instructed her brothers. Once again, her brown eyes fell on the boy with the glasses and the green eyes. She tugged on her mother's hand but her mother was too busy trying to decide whether Fred was George or whether Fred was actually Fred and the two were pulling her leg._

_"Mum," Ginny whined softly, her eyes still on the boy who was now watching George disappear through the barrier. "Mum, I don't think he is a Muggle and I think he needs..." As if he'd been listening, the boy suddenly made his way over. Molly Weasley looked away from her youngest son and finally saw the boy's trunk and owl._

_"Excuse me," he said to her mother, his green eyes scared. Molly smiled kindly._

_A few moments later, the black-haired, green-eyed boy was out of her mind as she said goodbye to her brothers. Percy immediately strode off in his pompous way but Ron lingered by his mother as the twins hopped about impatiently, teasing Ron and being forced to promise not to blow up any toilets._

_"...Guess who we just met on the train?"_

_"You know the black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?" Ginny's interest soared and she gazed at her brothers._

_"Who?"_

_"Harry Potter!" Ginny's jaw dropped and for a moment she was silent before something burst and she was bouncing around her mother like a lunatic._

_"Oh, Mum, can I go on the train and see him, Mum, oh please, please, pleeeease?" Ginny was barely aware of what she was saying and she kept babbling even after her Mum had said no. Then the whistle jolted her out of her trance and her brothers were getting on the train. She didn't realise she was crying until her brothers were telling her not to, promising to send letters and toilet seats._

_The train was moving... and then the scene morphed into another._

_This time, Ginny was standing in the Room of Requirement. She recognised the DA's practice room, decorated for Christmas. Tinsel wound around the columns and there was a large Christmas tree in the centre of the room. The only light came through the frosted windows, illuminating a large bunch of mistletoe. It also lit up the couple entwined beneath the mistletoe._

_Harry and Cho were kissing passionately and Ginny whimpered slightly, feeling sick. She glanced around the room, looking anywhere but them until eventually they broke apart. Harry wrapped his arms around Cho's small form and she rested her head on his shoulder, looking right at Ginny._

_"You'll never have him." Her voice was soft, almost a hiss and her eyes glittered malevolently. "Never... How could you think yourself good enough for him? You, the only girl in a family of blood traitors, younger than him, so easily controlled he once had to come to your rescue, due to something that was all your own fault."_

_"No," Ginny whispered, biting her lip. "He doesn't care about blood status. He doesn't! And he rescued me because he cares..." Cho laughed cruelly and Ginny found herself wondering why Harry wasn't doing anything._

_"You aren't good enough... Your Mudblood friend only tells you to get new boyfriends and move on because she wants him, not because she thinks he'll notice you if you do..." Cho's voice faded and suddenly it was Hermione standing in Harry's arms, looking at her evenly._

_"I'm sorry for lying to you Ginny, but Harry and I make such a better couple than you do. Besides, Dean is obsessed with you and you two look good together. Hey, in future we could even go on a double date! Just imagine, the four of us in Madam Puddifoot's..." Harry seemed to come to life at the point and started kissing Hermione's neck. Ginny looked away as her best friend's eyes closed in pleasure._

_When she looked up again, she was alone._

_"Ginny..." Ginny jumped, her eyes wide and her heart hammering. There was still no-one in the room, no obvious source of the sound._

_"Ginny..." Her name was hissed and Ginny bit her lip, looking around frantically. She wanted to escape but there was no door. She also wanted to stay, to find out who was taunting her, to fight her tormentor. There was silence for a long time as Ginny's eyes skittered around the room then flashed back to a single wall where red lettering was appearing rapidly. The smell of blood filled her nostrils and Ginny immediately felt dizzy, the smell reminding her of her first year at Hogwarts, the parts she couldn't remember just long blank stretches in her mind. His white, featureless face appeared directly in front of her, red eyes narrowed and thin lips stretched into a smirk._

_"You're not good enough..." Tom Riddle hissed the words on the wall into her ear and Ginny screamed._

"Ginny! Ginny! Wake up, it's only a dream!" Ginny's eyes snapped open and she bolted upright, twisted in her sheets and gasping for breath as she looked around. Her mother was standing beside her bed, looking down at her in alarm, her motherly features twisted with worry.

Once Ginny's breathing had evened she leaned back against her pillows and sorted out her sheets so she wasn't tangled up in them. As soon as she was sorted, Molly Weasley sat down on the edge of her bed and smoothed the strands of hair away from her daughter's pale face. A sigh left Ginny's mouth and she leaned against her mother's comforting shoulder.

"Oh Ginny dear, I thought you'd stopped having these nightmares. You haven't screamed like that since the end of your first year summer. Has something happened? Something I should know about? You haven't been writing in strange books again have you? I'd've hoped you'd know better than that, especially after all that happened and now that you're spending more time around Harry I'd hope you'd be more suspicious of objects. Surely your father and I raised you better than to just start writing in a book and not now anything about it, I mean your father works for the ministry for crying out loud! And if someone were to find out one of our family members had possession of a dark object..."

"Mum, Mum, calm down! I'm not writing in strange books, nor do I have the intention to do so ever again. It was a different dream." Ginny sighed softly as she felt her mother relax. "It was about Harry."

"Sweetheart, I thought you didn't care for him in that way anymore? You told me it's going so well with Dean just yesterday. Has something changed? Tell me the boy didn't break up with you by owl? When I get my hands on him... Oh Ginny dear..." Molly enveloped her daughter in her comforting arms and sighed sadly, oblivious to her daughter's eye rolls.

"Mum, he hasn't broken up with me, we're still going out and nothing's changed between me and Harry, that I've noticed anyway. It was just one of those random dreams we all get."

"If you're sure dear. Sleep well." Molly kissed her daughter's forehead and bustled out of the room fairly cheerfully, making her way back to her own room.

The next morning, well later the same morning, Ginny made her way sleepily downstairs to find Charlie bustling about the kitchen, frowning at various pots and then at his wand as they refused to do what he wanted of them.

"This is why the cooking is usually left to Mum," Ginny commented, peering into one of the pots and then recoiling quickly in order to avoid the black fumes that started pouring from it. Sighing she pulled out her wand and set the pots flying to the sink where they began to wash themselves. Pulling out some fresh ones, she eyed her elder brother shrewdly.

"What were you making? You're not one to suck up, especially not by cooking considering your... skill in that department." Charlie chuckled and hopped up onto the counter beside the hob, grinning down at his favourite sibling.

"I was trying to make a strawberry tart for Luna, she has a sweet tooth, especially for strawberry tart. But it went a little bit wrong..." He bit his lip and stared at her pleadingly. "Gin, I know you're upset we didn't tell you earlier but you understand why we needed to keep us secret."

"Yeah, I understand. Now why are you giving me that look? I'm not gonna make your strawberry tart for you. There's a recipe book right there. You just have to gather the ingredients, measure them and then say the incantation. It'll assemble and cook itself. How long?"

"Huh?" Charlie grunted, looking into various cupboards.

"Ever think of a Summoning charm? How long?"

"Oh right. _Accio flour!_ How long what?"

"Are you being deliberately annoying? How long since you and Luna started being Luna and Charlie?"

"Where are the eggs? Wait, how can I need two eggs and two yolks? Aren't the yolks included in the rest of the egg?"

"It means you need to put in two whole eggs and then separate the other two so you have the yolk and the white separate. There's a spell to do that in the back if you don't want to get messy. The white can be used to make meringue and other things. Stop avoiding my question." Ginny was sitting at the kitchen table by now, eating some cereal and wondering where the other members of her family were. Her father was at work, she could see that from the clock, but her mother, usually up by seven at the latest, was nowhere in sight.

"What question? _Ova Separata. _Ginny it didn't work." Ginny stood and inspected the mess her brother had made in the small bowl. Sighing she vanished it and did it for him.

"How long have you and Luna been 'Luna and Charlie'?"

"Well I've been Charlie since December 12th 1972 and Luna has been Luna since November 9th 1981. Surely you know that though? You send me birthday letters every year and you've been playing with Luna since you could walk, if not before then. Honestly Gin, it's worrying you had to even ask that question. _Crustum Convenire. _Whoa!" Charlie stepped back hastily as the dough started coming together of it's own accord, then rolled itself out and settled into the pie tin. "Sweet!"

"Aren't you funny? And strawberry tart dough does tend to be sweet," Ginny replied dryly. "When did you two become an item?"

"An item? What century are you from?" Charlie teased.

"Just answer the question, Charlie." Ginny's fingers twitched teasingly towards her wand and she smirked at him playfully. He laughed and ruffled her hair, much to her annoyance.

"If you must know we'd been writing to each other for a while after Luna thought she saw a dragon circling above the lake at Hogwarts but it was actually just a Thestral, she saw it in first year. Poor thing was scared out of her wits but I managed to calm her down and had Dumbledore explain why she could see them when nobody else could."

"Okay so you've been writing to each other for four full years? That still doesn't answer my question. Charlie, you know you can tell me."

"We'd been talking for a while and on learning that I was coming to Hogwarts to help with the Tournament, back in your third year..."

"Wait, you told her but you didn't tell anyone else?"

"Sorry Ginny, I didn't tell her outright, I'd just hinted at it and she's intuitive."

"Whatever, lover boy. Carry on."

"So on learning this she asked to meet up after the first task. I agreed and we went to the Three Broomsticks for a drink. Nothing alcoholic mind, I didn't want to get in even more trouble, considering that I had to sneak her out of the grounds. We talked for ages, until the room was almost empty, and somehow we got onto the topic of ex-partners. I told her how Tonks and I had broken up and she revealed to me how her first boyfriend had broken up with her and how he'd been cruel to her ever since."

"Wait, Luna had a boyfriend? Why wasn't I aware of this? Who was it? He's been cruel to her? I'll make him regret that, or make him apologise if he wants children..."

"Slow down, little sis! Yes she had a boyfriend, a secret boyfriend which'll be why you don't know about him. She and Theodore dated for about two weeks, in your second year, and then he broke up with her when she started telling him about the Thestrals. He didn't believe her, he was scared of her and so started to tease her in mean ways. Fear makes people cruel Ginny."

"I know. So you talked about that..."

"And Luna was upset, and seeing her upset made me upset and before either of us knew what was happening, we were kissing. I pulled away and told her it couldn't work, that the age difference was too much at this age, especially for her, and that the distance was just too great. She, ever the reasonable one, made me see that because of the distance, the age thing was less of a problem. She said to me..."

_"So what if the distance is over a thousand miles? You can Apparate that distance in a second if you need to. Maybe this distance is a good thing? People will never suspect anything is going on, just because we write to each other. If we were together, people would talk. A lot. It's a hard thing to ignore, a nine year age difference." Her eyes were round, her breathing quite fast. He found himself wondering if she'd felt this way for a while. She sure did have a good argument._

_"It's not quite nine years..." A smile had formed on her face and the two had left the inn, thanking Rosmerta for her patience._

"Charlie? Charlie... Charlie... Chaaaaaarlie..." Ginny prodded her brother in the side in an attempt to get him out of the daydream that had made him sit frozen with quite a creepy grin on his face. "Charlie! Snap out of it, you're burning holes in the wall!" His eyes came suddenly into focus.

"Sorry, just remembering..."

"Really? Are you going to tell me what she actually said or are you just going to sit there, grinning like a clown?"

"Umm, right sorry." Charlie relayed his memory to her and she smiled sweetly before her eyes widened.

"The tart! Quick or it'll burn!"


	7. Today I'm Taking On A Catastrophe

**Happy New Year everyone, I hope 2011 is good to you :) **

Luna Lovegood lay in her bed on Christmas Day, hearing the various clatters that were never absent from her busy house. Well, it wasn't busy per se, given that there were only two occupants at the most, but the house just held a certain air of madness. They hadn't always lived in the round, tower-like house. For the first few years of Luna's life, they'd lived in a small cottage just down the road but her father hadn't been able to cope with so little space, claiming to have no room to do his extensive research and printing was nearly impossible. Her mother had been finding it hard too, for the same reason. She wasn't quite as odd as her husband but she had liked to experiment, it had been those experiments which had been the eventual cause of her death. They had moved a few months later, after much discussion, to a house which Xenophilius had constructed out of rocks he had found nearby. The circular house had been perfect for their needs, suiting the family and Luna, who liked her room being the highest in the house. But still, her mother experimented.

'If only she hadn't opened that door...' was a constant thought in the young woman's mind. She had only been nine years old at the time, too young to understand some would say. But she had understood perfectly, and wished she hadn't.

_Her mother was bent over a small cauldron, peering at it with a frown of annoyance upon her beautiful features. Her curls of brown hair, usually flowing loose over her shoulders, were bound up in a simple bun at the nape of her neck and her eyes were protected by glasses which Luna knew to be magically reinforced._

_The potion within the small cauldron was bubbling furiously and giving off an odour that Luna could not decide to be lovely or disgusting, because it managed to smell like melting chocolate but the stench also managed to take on the form of burning Flobberworm. It was odd and confusing. Luna wondered if that was why her mother was frowning as she poked her wand at the large flames beneath the cauldron. Seemingly satisfied with the reduction in their size, her mother picked up a vial containing an amount of luminous blue liquid which bubbled randomly. Luna edged closer._

_Given that she was only nine and naturally tiny, her mother didn't notice her as the table edges were at the same level as Luna's protuberant silver eyes. Her curly hair, where she took after her mother in style but not colour, was spilling over her shoulders and down her back, catching the light against her sweet little green dungarees. The little girl was trying her hardest not to be spotted by her mother, as she was not supposed to be in her mother's workroom. But she was just _so _curious as to why her mother had to keep the things in this room such a big secret. Surely she could see her mother at work just once?_

_"Luna! What on earth are you doing in here?" Luna jumped, startled at the sound of her mother's voice and realised that while she had been lost in her thoughts, she had moved closer until only the table the cauldron rested on was separating her from her mother, who didn't seem very angry that she had broken the only major rule and come into her room. She watched with wide eyes as her mother used her wand to remove the stopper from the vial of bubbling blue stuff._

_"Luna, sweetheart, I know you're curious but you really shouldn't be in here. Your father and I only set these rules for your safety, we don't want anything bad to happen to you." Her mother looked up from her cauldron as she spoke, not watching the vial in her hand. Luna was though and she saw the liquid turn to a menacing shade of red just as her mother tipped it into the potion._

Thinking back to it, Luna realised she never had known precisely what happened in the next few moments of pandemonium. There had been a very bright flash of blue light and she had been thrown backwards by the force of the explosion that blasted from the small cauldron. The first thing she had seen on opening her eyes were those of her mother, looking not at her, but through her with a strange blankness. She remembered crawling towards her mother and shaking her, calling her but she hadn't responded. Then her father was there and he was so upset and horrified and his arms had been around her, pulling her away from her mother's body as he wept great tears into her hair. It was then Luna realised that by going into the room and distracting her mother, she had been the one to kill her.

"Luna? Luna!" And now her father was calling her, just like he had all those years ago when she'd gone into hysterics and sobbed until she couldn't breathe. "Luna! Calm down."

She was tangled in her sheets, thrashing around like a fish out of water. Her father was bent over her, trying to call her away from the nightmare memory that had taken over her in her laziness, her return to the world of sleep, her body's refusal to wake up when her mind had started going through that old nightmare that had woken her, screaming, so many times. Her roommates had told everyone she was crazy after she'd had one the first night at Hogwarts. Since then, she'd always been the weird, crazy one with few true friends. She wasn't terribly bullied though, because Ginny stuck up for her and nobody dared to get on the wrong side of Ginny, especially while Fred and George were still at school.

Fred and George... thinking about them made Luna feel sick and she sat up, threw her sheets off and ran to her bathroom, ignoring her father's worried enquiries to her health. He worried that she'd caught his illness as she downed a glass of cold water and leaned her forehead against the frosted window which faced the hills behind the Burrow where Charlie was.

"I'm fine, Dad. Just a queasy feeling, probably excitement. You know how I get on Christmas. Go back to bed, I'll bring breakfast to you in half an hour or so." She heard her father leave and padded back into her room, curling up in the chair in front of her desk. She took the picture of her mother and herself from her bedside table and gazed at it sadly.

"Oh Mum, I wish you were still here," she murmured softly. "You'd know what to do." After a few minutes, she put the picture back and dressed herself in a woollen dress, soft grey tights and furry black boots which kept her feet very cosy against the iciness of the stone floors. Still thinking over the Fred and George situation, she headed down to the kitchen and filled the kettle.

She couldn't believe it was Fred and George who stood in the way of her happiness with Charlie. They had always behaved like annoying, funny elder brothers around her. Teasing her gently, playing tricks on her and Ginny when they had tea parties, always laughing and joking with her. She'd have more expected Charlie himself to stop their happiness than the twins. It was such a shock to her and she sat down heavily, suddenly realising that maybe the teasing hadn't been as gentle as she thought, the tricks had not just been out of boredom, the jokes perhaps had been at her expense.

As the tears threatened to roll, Luna stood sharply and began pulling things out of the fridge, setting them on counters to prepare, pouring various things straight into pans and bustling around in an attempt to find the spatulas that always seemed to elude her on Christmas morning when she needed them most.

Several minutes later a calm Luna was stood at the stove, stirring a pot full of porridge. Once she'd taken that away from the heat and poured it into two bowls, dribbling one with Gurdyroot syrup and sprinkling sugar onto the other bowl. She wasn't quite sure what her father found so pleasurable about the syrup, with its odd consistency, like tar, and the bitter taste. She could just stand the tea, with lots of sugar, but she put her foot down when it came to the syrup on her porridge. Humming softly, she was glad to realise the cooking had calmed her as she flipped one of the eggs onto a piece of plain toast and then stopped to spread some more of the horrible syrup onto the other piece of toast, placing the second egg on the plate beside it.

Once she placed the sausages and bacon on both plates, she took two mugs and filled one with that barely drinkable tea that her father so adored. She poured herself some normal tea and took the tray containing her father's breakfast up to him in his room.

"Thank you dear, I hope you'll be alright cooking the meal today? Are you sure you wish me to remain in bed?"

"Yes father, you're ill and need to recover. Nobody should be ill on Christmas and you will only make it worse by attempting to exert your energy." She sat the tray on his knees and watched with satisfaction as he leant back against the pillows without protest,

"Alright dear, but if you need help with anything don't be afraid to come and ask." She left him stirring more syrup into his porridge with a gleeful expression on his sallow face. He looked slightly better than yesterday, she realised with relief as she made her way back to the kitchen, decided to eat there rather than risking the rickety staircase to her room, and then the ladder to the roof where she usually ate her breakfast. It was too cold, she reasoned, and she had a full tray of food which she was likely to spill. She decided against it and picked at her breakfast in the kitchen, happy to relax in the warmth that was coming from the large fireplace her mother had insisted on installing all those years ago. Her father refused to use it but Luna was happy to, knowing her mother wouldn't have wanted them to freeze to death.

Suddenly the fire blazed emerald green, making Luna jump in shock and her eyes widened. She hadn't known their fireplace was connected to the Floo Network. Frowning, she made a mental reminder to ask her father about that later but clearly she had no time to now as Molly Weasley's head appeared in the fireplace and blinked its eyes several times before settling on Luna with a maternal expression.

"Hello Luna dear, I'm sorry I never replied to your note yesterday, about not being able to attend lunch. Skitchel left before I had time to reply and Errol was already away delivering presents. Obviously I couldn't use Hermes, Percy took everything he owned when he left." Molly Weasley stopped talking for a few moments, lost in her thoughts. Her eyes refocused on Luna a few minutes and she seemed to awaken with a jolt, as if she'd forgotten she'd stuck her head in the fireplace to talk to Luna.

"Yes, so I couldn't remember if you were attached to the Floo Network so I decided just to try anyway, and well it clearly worked. Anyway, I'm babbling. I just wanted to say, I hope your father feels better soon and you can feel free to come down, if you change your mind. My family say I always cook enough to feed an entire army with leftovers. Not that they complain, they always seem to eat the majority of it..." Luna interrupted her quickly, sensing she was about to go off on one of her famed rants about food and how it shouldn't be wasted.

"That's a very kind offer of you, Mrs Weasley, but I'm inclined to stay here until I think my father can cope by himself. He is very weak after all. I hope you have a lovely Christmas, send my regards to everyone." Luna smiled and stood up.

"Of course dear, and how many times have I told you now to call me Molly? Enjoy your Christmas too dear, I'm sure everyone will send you wishes of a good day when I give them your message." The flames flickered for a few moments, turned pure yellow as Molly Weasley's head disappeared and then settled down to their gentle dancing orange.

Luna sighed, moving away from the flames to collect her dishes and wash them up. She wasn't as sure as Mrs Weasley about everyone returning her regards and that thought saddened her greatly.

"Luna?" Luna snapped out of her reverie as her father called to her and she ran up the stairs to make sure he was okay. He was still propped up against his pillows but the tray in front of him was now empty and he had his nose buried in a new book. There was a pile of wrapping paper at the end of his bed and Luna felt her heart sink slightly. They always opened presents together.

"You called?" Luna's eyes were still focused on the pile of wrapping paper and Xenophilius sighed.

"I'm sorry dear, it's just that I knew I was being given this book on Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and where they have been sighted recently and I just _had _to find it, but all my presents were book-shaped and I didn't find it until I reached the very last parcel." Her father looked up from his book with an expression of childish glee. She looked to the foot of his bed again and saw that not one of his other presents was a book. Of course, she should have known that, given that at least three of his presents came from her.

"It's alright, shall I take your tray?"

"Oh yes please, dear." He had already turned his attention back to the book and was absorbed in it. Sighing, Luna leaned forward and scooped up the empty tray and made her way back downstairs, cleaned up and then climbed all the way up to her room. She lifted her small sack of presents and climbed to the roof, sitting with her back to the wall in an attempt to shield herself from the harsh wind. It was still freezing though and she was thrilled to discover that her first present was a thick jumper from Mrs Weasley and her family, along with some mince pies. Her second gift was from her father, as was her third, fourth and fifth. She had a few presents from her few school friends, a necklace from her remaining grandparent and a last package from Ginny Weasley.

She opened it cautiously, half expecting one of Fred and George's mean products to spring out and punch her in the face, or similar, but it was just a mirror with a note attached to it, written in Ginny's spiky lettering.

**Dear Luna,**

**This may just look like your average mirror, but it isn't. It's part of a pair, this is a communication mirror. Typically used by Aurors on a mission, you just have to speak the name of the person who possesses the other mirror and they should appear in it. Mad-Eye gave these to me, so I think he's noticed something, even though he sees more of Percy than he does of me, you or Charlie. Still, he's intuitive and hinted that they might make a good Christmas present so I'm giving this to you, and Charlie's received the other. Use it wisely and be careful not to break it.**

**Love,**

**Ginny x**

Luna smiled and then looked around in a panic, realising she hadn't sent Ginny's present with the package to the Weasleys that her father had put together. She hauled it into her arms and was wrapped in her cloak and out the door before she realised she had promised herself she wouldn't go there while the twins were there, and everyone else. On her way, she realised another thing. She was done hiding.


	8. If Stars Don't Align

**Two things, one happy and one sad.**

**Firstly, I'd like to give a shout-out to Eggshellwhite who sent me a lovely review which totally made my day when I read it. Because you did this anonymously I couldn't reply to thank you, so this is my thanks.**

**Secondly, I've had a really, really tough start to the year. Two people close to me, and another close to my boyfriend, have lost their lives. It's really shaken me up, and I don't know how it'll affect my writing. So, if I take a while to update, don't be angry. I have a few chapters ready, but they'll be used in a couple of weeks. The next month or so will be really hard.**

**May they rest in peace **

"Thanks for your help, Ginny." Charlie smiled in her general direction, not lifting his eyes or his wand from the piping bag which was currently icing a very small Christmas cake for Luna to share with her father, as he knew she loved the festive cake but had no idea how to make it herself, no matter how competent she was in other areas of cooking. It was ironic that she was able to cook anything apart from the sweet treats she loved so much.

"I didn't really do much, just pointed you to the recipes. Just figured I should show you those before you burnt down the kitchen and I would have to face Mum's wrath, once she'd finished with you, as to why I hadn't stopped you. You know what she's like." Charlie laughed softly and looked away from the cake as the piping bag finished its job.

"I do know, so thanks for saving us both from the wrath. Oh, Merry Christmas by the way, thought I should probably say something about that." Ginny hopped down from her place on the counter and came over to inspect the cake which was extremely beautiful, despite its small size and lack of area for decorating.

"Merry Christmas to you too," Ginny murmured absently as she examined the strawberry tart, a mouth-watering confection of berries and pastry, the berries glowing brightly under a golden lattice. "You're a dab hand at baking, Charlie," she said with surprise.

"Who knew? Guess I do take after Mum in some aspect other than hair colour." Charlie was like Ginny in that his hair was a slightly darker shade of red but he had inherited his father's blue eye colour, like all the other Weasley children apart from Ginny and Bill with their chocolate brown eyes. However, Charlie's eyes were unique in the family as they had a faint brown circle surrounding the pupil, something women found particularly entrancing.

"I guess so, have you opened your presents yet? You know Mum will be upset if she comes down and you aren't wearing your jumper." Ginny was playing with the hem of her own pale blue jumper, her name stitched onto the chest in a darker shade of blue.

"Why is it you have your full name on yours?" Charlie hadn't really noticed this before.

"One year George thought it'd be funny to steal the pink one she made for me. Mum didn't find it particularly amusing and has ever since put my entire name on it, just in case he 'forgets'. I'm glad she's changed the colour now though, pink really did not go with my hair," Ginny muttered as Charlie floated the two desserts into a large tin and sealed the lid with a charm only Luna would be able to remove. He laughed once he'd finished.

"I can imagine, and in answer to your earlier question, I haven't opened mine yet. Guess I'll go and do so now, thanks again for your help." Charlie picked up the tin and turned to make his way up the stairs to Bill's old room, where he was staying with his brother because his room was full of Fred and George's products.

"You're welcome, thank you for my flying gloves. I've been wanting some for ages, my hands always get in such bad condition by the end of the flying year. How did you know I wanted some?"

"I heard you complaining about your hands the other day and decided you might appreciate some good quality gloves. Got to keep those hands nice and soft for Harry don't you?" Charlie winked cheekily and disappeared up the stairs.

"It's Dean! Not Harry!" Ginny yelled up after him and then blushed and shut up, remembering most people could hear her when she yelled like that.

"What's not Harry?" Molly Weasley asked absently as she bustled into the kitchen, covered in snow and smiling happily, levitating a basket full of frozen carrots in front of her.

"Oh, hey Mum. Charlie and I were just wondering who had made all this mess with flour. I said it couldn't be Harry because I know for a fact that he and Ron are still oblivious to the world." Ginny smiled innocently while surreptitiously attempting to get the flour off her hand. She and Charlie had had a small food fight while the cake was baking.

"Oh, well it wasn't me. How odd. Anyway, could you help me thaw these dear? It's taken me nearly three hours to dig them out, and that's with the help of magic! I do wonder how muggles cope, sometimes. It's a simple spell really, you don't need any words. Just point at the carrot you need to thaw and focus on heat pouring out of the end of your wand, then flick it like this." Molly demonstrated then watched with satisfaction as the carrot thawed and flew into the sink. "Unfortunately it only works on one carrot at a time so I'd really appreciate your help, dear."

"Of course, Mum. Thanks for the presents by the way. The toffee smells delicious."

"You're welcome, and that colour suits you," Molly said approvingly as the two women set to work. Bill joined them after a while and Molly stood up to cook some breakfast, drawing all the other occupants of the house into the kitchen to work out the source of the delicious smell and see if they could have any of it. Charlie, who had already eaten, didn't make an appearance. Fleur had sat down beside Bill and was talking loudly about the number of house elves she had in her French home which meant she would never have to even think about a carrot, let alone prepare one. Ginny smirked as her mother started talking to Bill as if Fleur wasn't even there. Bill had only arrived yesterday, his arms overflowing with presents and Fleur happily gliding in without a thing to carry.

"Bill, do you think Charlie's alright? Obviously you've not seen much of him, given that you only arrived yesterday and you've both been in and out of the house as if staying in it for more than six hours would give you a disease or something. It was just a surprise to see him turning up here so suddenly and without any warning, I just wondered if something had happened at work?"

"I honestly can't say, Mum. He came in before me yesterday night and was asleep when I went in so I couldn't ask him anything. Then when I woke up this morning he wasn't there, and I only saw him when I came out of the shower and went into my room to get changed before I came down here. That doesn't leave me much room for interrogating him about his private life." Bill munched happily on a piece of toast, his arm resting around Fleur's shoulders.

"Right, of course dear." Molly was interrupted by a knock at the door and everyone looked up in surprise, trying to decide who the cloaked figure was, something hard as whoever it was, was distorted by the snow which had settled on the windows. Molly stood and made her way to the door as Harry rose and disappeared up the stairs, closely followed by Ron who seemed concerned. Molly shared a bewildered glance with her husband before she pulled the door open to reveal Luna standing there shivering, her thick cloak covered by snow and her cheeks rosy pink.

"Oh my goodness! Luna come in, you're absolutely freezing!" Molly's maternal instincts immediately kicked into gear at the sight of the small girl, her eyelashes weighed down by small flakes of snow, what could be seen of her hair was completely soaked and her furry boots were turned white by snow, an impressive feat given that they were black.

While Luna was being settled in front of the roaring fire, Ginny glanced around at the inhabitants of the kitchen. Bill and Fleur were in their own little world, gazing into each other's eyes with loving expressions that made Ginny feel sick. Her father was torn between his breakfast and helping Luna. Her mother was flapping around Luna like a mother hen; warming up her fingers, helping her take off her boots in an attempt to thaw her toes, spreading out her hair and casting a hot air charm to dry it. Fred and George were looking at Luna with identical evil smirks.

Ginny stared at them, frowning hard, until they both realised they were being watched and turned to look at her. When they had, she lifted her wand and drew it through her fingers threateningly, warning them without words that if they did anything to Luna, they would be subjected to some of her fiercest jinxes. The two gulped in understanding and scurried out of the kitchen but not before Ginny saw the identical grins slide back into place as they whispered to each other.

Rolling her eyes, Ginny made her way to the fireplace and crouched down beside her friend.

"Luna, what on earth made you walk all the way here? In this weather? Did you not think of using the Floo Network?" Molly was asking in concern, still attempting to warm the girl up. Luna coughed once then swallowed, her tongue flicking over her pale lips.

"I forgot to send Ginny's present over with the rest of the package and Skitchel hasn't returned yet as he's delivering presents to my grandmother. And I didn't want to come by the fireplace because I was afraid of dropping her present and of just turning up in the kitchen without invitation. It seemed as rude as breaking the door down, but with less hassle," Luna explained, moving her cloak aside and lifting a simply wrapped gift. It was fairly large and Ginny had to move away to put down her mug of hot chocolate as Luna offered it to her.

"Oh Luna, you didn't have to..." Ginny said as she carefully unwrapped the gift and lifted out a beautiful set of dress robes in a shimmering purple. "This is too much, I can't accept these." Ginny was marvelling at the stunning colour and the flattering fit of the robes as she held them up in front of her, eyes wide.

"Oh you must! You've been such a good friend to me and I knew you wanted some new ones as you were growing out of your previous set. And plus, the colour is just so pretty against your skin," Luna complimented as Molly left her hair and went to Ginny's side to examine the robes.

"Luna's right, Ginny. Just accept it gracefully." Molly ran her fingers critically over the material and smiled down at Luna. "You have excellent taste in dress robes, I just hope these weren't too expensive."

"Oh no, Daddy's got plenty of money thanks to the magazine, especially after Harry's interview last year. It was no trouble." Luna smiled absently and Ginny hugged her tightly then ran upstairs to put the dress robes away carefully. She reappeared seconds later to thank Luna and then bounced into the garden with her wand and the intention of decorating it lavishly.

"That was ever so kind of you, Luna," Bill commented from his place at the table and Luna smiled at him sweetly, her eyes slightly glazed over.

"Indeed, it was," Arthur agreed, examining Luna with concern over his cup of tea. "Is everything alright Luna?"

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't it be?" Luna asked, her eyes snapping into focus and becoming edgy and defensive as she eyed Mr Weasley.

"It's just you seem quite edgy and it's an awfully long way to walk, especially in this weather, just for the trouble of delivering a present." He finished his drink in one large gulp and the empty mug floated over the sink and began washing itself. Luna found herself watching it with more attention that she would usually give to such a simple act of magic.

"Yes, well I was hoping I could talk to Charlie. I heard he was here and it has just been so long since I last saw him. You know we were quite close in our childhood, when he was home from Hogwarts that is." Luna blurted suddenly, wringing her hands in agitation. Molly glanced up from the pile of carrots she had just set slicing and smiled softly.

"Of course dear. Bill would you run up and get him?" Bill nodded and kissed Fleur's cheek before he disappeared up the stairs as Luna spread her fingers out in front of the fire again. A flustered Arthur levitated Ginny's wrapping paper into the bin and vanished into the garden, giving the excuse that he was going to make sure Ginny hadn't turned the garden into a beacon of light.

Bill made his way up the stairs, careful not to fall over any Fred and George products which they frequently left lying around in an attempt to prank the unwary. He knocked softly on his own bedroom door, a weird thing to do but he didn't want to burst in on Charlie if he didn't want to be interrupted. On receiving no answer, he turned the handle and pushed the door open and smiled at the sight before him.

Charlie was lying, fully clothed, on the mattress beside Bill's bed. A blanket of wrapping paper covered him and there were various gifts lying around on the floor, books, jumpers, some new dragon hide gloves, a few of Fred and George's products and a mirror, of all things. Charlie himself was flat on his back, one arm over his face but not covering his hair which was twisting in every angle. He was snoring softly.

"Charlie." Bill knelt down and shook his brother's shoulder. Charlie sat up, looking around with a perplexed expression.

"Mmph?" He mumbled, blinking several times. "Wazzgoinon?" Bill laughed at his general appearance.

"You've a visitor," he said in explanation and helped his brother up then followed him downstairs to the kitchen where Luna, Fleur and Mrs Weasley still sat. Luna was currently describing Nargles to Fleur in great detail, suggesting she might have them. Charlie bit his tongue to stop himself laughing from the look of outrage on Fleur's face as he wandered over to Luna's side.

"Hey Luna, long time no see," he said jokily. As Bill sat back down beside Fleur, distracting her from the younger girl, and Molly turned back to the carrots, Charlie frowned at Luna. "I thought you weren't coming for dinner?"

"I could say the same for you, Charlie. I didn't even know you were here until Ginny owled me this morning. Gosh, it's been so long. We should go for a walk, have a little chat to catch up!" Luna was already on her feet, pulling her cloak on and smiling at Charlie who was so confused.

"Luna, are you sure you're alright to go outside?" Molly was concerned, turning away from the carrots for a second and regarding Luna with concern.

"I'll be fine, thank you Mrs Weasley. I'm sure Charlie will be a gentleman and offer me his cloak if I get cold." With that, Luna stepped outside and Charlie followed her like a puppy.


	9. Under The Open Sky

"Luna, I thought you had said..."

"Not here, Charlie. I'm sorry but I don't trust Fred and George not to be spying on us with one of their Extendable Ears or something. Where can we talk privately? Like, complete privacy?" Luna was gazing at him with her eyes wide, the hood of her thick cloak drawn up to protect her hair from the wind and snow. She still shivered, despite the extra cloak Molly had spread around her while she was drying out.

"We could go to the orchard, to the clearing where we play Quidditch in the summer. There's a bench there which Bill charmed to be resistant to all weathers, so it should be free of snow. It's had other spells done to it, over the years. Fred and George charmed it to start playing some ridiculous love song if anyone kissed on it, Ginny added cushions to it, Ron hexed it so any magical person the family didn't know would be tied to the bench and stuck there until we next came to it. Even Percy chipped in and did this complicated little bit of magic which means the bench will heat up if its occupants wish it. Obviously he did that before he left home." Charlie talked as he led her to the orchard, twining his fingers with hers as soon as the trees obscured them from the Burrow.

"So basically you'd get in a lot of trouble if say a cold muggle came along and sat on the bench, in the rain, they'd suddenly find themselves dry and warm. And if they started kissing, some sort of love song would start playing."

"Yes, if we didn't have muggle repelling charms on ever inch of the land that belongs to us," Charlie said, chuckling softly.

"I guess that's alright then," Luna replied with a smile as they walked into clearing and over to the bench which had been subject to so many spells and was the current topic of the conversation. Luna gave a soft gasp as she sat down on the warm, snow free seat.

"Oh, it's so warm!" Her words turned from a cry of pleasure into a gasp of surprise as ropes shot out of the bench and secured her there. Charlie's eyes narrowed as he examined the ropes.

"Fred and George did this," he muttered, waving his wand once in Luna's direction, vanishing the ropes and then again at the bench. Two laughing faces appeared in front of them, one Fred and one George, both just laughing and laughing, silently. "Yeah. They've hexed the bench so that now any magical person the family doesn't know will be tied up, and so will Luna Lovegood. Gits." He flicked his wand and muttered something and the bench glowed once.

"What did you do?"

"I returned it to the original spell. Hang on, I'm going to do something that will surprise them the next time they sit down. You might want to stand up, the bench is going to get quite hot." Luna stood and made her way to his side, watching as he twisted his wand, his forehead slightly creased in his concentration. Luna watched as the end of his wand glowed blue, then the red-orange which was the hair colour of the twins, and then a clear substance flew from the end of it and coated the bench.

"You can sit down now, I covered it in glue which will become sticky again when they sit down. A stickiness close to a Permanent Sticking charm, but not quite as strong." Charlie sat down beside Luna and stretched his long legs in front of him, wrapping one arm around her thin shoulders and reaching for one of her hands with the other.

"Where did you learn that?" Luna asked, gesturing to the bench with her free hand.

"When you spend as much time with dragons as I do, you learn any spell which could stop an angry dragon. That's one of my favourites, it's especially good for slowing down nesting mothers when we need their eggs or something similar. I used it after the first task. Now, I thought you said you weren't coming for dinner?"

"Oh, quite a handy spell then. Maybe you could teach me sometime. I know, and I did indeed say that but then I realised I hadn't sent Ginny's present down and Skitchel is currently in Ireland delivering a package to my grandmother. I didn't want to come through the Floo in case I dropped the present and because I didn't want to burst in unannounced."

"So you walked all the way from your house, through the snow and the wind and the ice."

"So I walked all the way from my house, through the snow and the wind and the ice so I could deliver a present to a dear friend on Christmas Day," Luna confirmed.

"And...?"

"And what?"

"Luna, I know you. And I know that you would indeed walk in this weather to deliver a single present. But I also know that's not the only reason why you cane."

"Just how do you know that?"

"Because, if you hadn't had another reason, you wouldn't have asked if I was here, in fear of arising suspicion that something was going on between us."

"You know me too well."

"I don't think it's possible to know someone too well, especially if you love them. But yes, I know you very well. And it's just as well Ginny knows about us, or she would have called you out about your bluff."

"My bluff? And since when does Ginny know?""

"'I didn't even know you were here until Ginny owled me this morning'," Charlie quoted and she blushed softly. "Luna, if you don't want my family to know about us, then you need to be more careful. As for Ginny finding out, I got back yesterday morning, very early morning, to find Ginny in the kitchen with Fred and George who had told her everything. Fortunately, Ginny took my side and won't tell anyone. You know she wouldn't, because she wouldn't want to do anything to hurt you."

"Maybe I do want that."

"What?" Charlie was confused. Luna's eyes were unfocused and pointed in the direction of the Burrow, even though it was completely hidden from them. The clouds overheard were a dark grey and completely full of snow, Charlie thought. His suspicions were proven correct a few minutes later when small white flakes began to fall quickly, covering the higher branches of snow-free trees in a few minutes. After a while there was at least an inch more added to the white blanket covering the clearing, and Charlie realised with a jolt that it was snowing so heavily he couldn't see the trees on the other side of the glade. He also became conscious of the fact that at least fifteen minutes had passed and Luna hadn't answered his question yet.

"Luna?" He prodded gently and she blinked, turning her head to face him.

"I want to tell them Charlie, your family. I'm fed up of hiding this, of hiding us. Ginny knows, Fred and George knows, so the rest of them might as well know. I don't think Bill will be all that surprised, he's seen me watching you the times you both come home and I'm over, plus he must have been suspicious about where you disappear when you come to me, but he's not like Fred and George in that he doesn't nose about in your private affairs if he realises you don't want to share."

"Luna..."

"And I mean, Ron probably wouldn't care, he's got so much on his plate at the moment, and hell he probably wouldn't mind being able to watch another couple so he can make Lavender happier. I've seen the way he watches Bill and Fleur and it's obvious he's wanting to pick up tips. Maybe it's not even Lavender he wants to use them on anymore, maybe he's finally realised that he actually likes Hermione and that she's liked him for ages..."

"Luna..."

"Of course, Percy wouldn't even be around to find out. And if your mother and father are anything but happy for you, then I'm seriously questioning your parents because what mother and father can honestly say they aren't happy with one of their children having a relationship when it's their relationship that has bought their children into the world in the first place..." Luna was suddenly shut up by another pair of lips on top of hers, silencing her quite efficiently and stopping her babbling until Celestina Warbeck suddenly began to warble 'You Charmed the Heart Right Out of Me' at the top of her voice.

"Ah shit," Charlie cursed, pulling Luna off the bench to sit in the snow-free, warm area of grass at the foot of a tree right beside it. "I forgot about that. What's the counter curse?" He pulled out his wand again, frowning as he muttered to himself about turning the song off before the family came running. Luna pulled out her own wand.

"_Finite Incantate," _she muttered and Celestina was cut off in the middle of a long, very high-pitched note which would have surely given any nearby dogs a headache. Charlie blushed and pulled her off the ground and onto his lap.

"I was just testing you," he mumbled and she laughed and swept some snow out of his hair. In return he gently reached up and tucked some loose strands of her blonde hair behind her small ear which was pink-tipped due to the cold. She pulled the hood of her cloak fully down, removing it from its position halfway off her head.

"Are you sure you want to tell them?" His hand rested on her cheek and she leaned her face against him with a sweet smile.

"I'm completely sure. We've hidden our relationship from everyone for two years now, that's such a long time to keep such a big secret. I'm actually quite surprised we have managed to keep it secret for so long, and in fact I wonder if the events of the past few days are a sign that it's the right time to tell everyone. What do you think? We don't have to do anything you don't want to do," she echoed his words from that night and he chuckled.

"All your reasons and your adorable babbling and your apparent need to tell my family has just made me love you even more, and I thought that wasn't possible," Charlie admitted, smiling down at her because even perched on his knee, she was still small enough he had to look down at her. "Of course I want to tell them, I've wanted to tell them since the very day we decided we would even start a relationship. You're the most amazing person I've ever met, you're beautiful and you're kind. I just want to parade you around the entire country and make sure everyone knows that you're mine. Besides, it's probably best we tell everyone ourselves and give them our reasons, rather than having to sit through Fred and George explaining it in the way that they see it. Now, come on, we've been out here for a couple of hours and Mum will probably be worrying that we got lost in the storm and fell into a ditch or a pond."

Luna stood up, smiling and then took his hand and pulled him up. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her close as they set off through the snowy woods and back towards the white mass that was the Burrow.

"Oh Arthur, what if the storm disorientated them and they left the safety of the orchard and are just wandering about the countryside without a clue as to where they might be? What if Luna fell in a pond and Charlie fell in after her while he was trying to get her out? They could just be blocks of human shaped ice floating in a distant pond now! Or what if the storm was so powerful that a tree fell down and injured them both so that neither could walk or send a message for help? And they managed to miss lunch as well! What if..." Molly Weasley's worries were cut off as the backdoor swung open to reveal Luna and Charlie standing there, both smiling and unhurt but covered in snow. Arthur Weasley decided not to comment on the fact that his son's arm had been securely wrapped around the small girl's shoulders as Molly flew forwards and began dragging the two of them towards the fire, at the same time ridding them of their sodden cloaks and shoes. However, Charlie did not miss the look his father gave him and he moved the slightest bit away from Luna.

"Oh, you two could have injured yourselves so terribly! What on earth were you thinking, going outside when the clouds were just so full of snow? We were so worried, what would we have done if you'd both hurt yourselves and not been able to send for help? Honestly, I was in half a mind to send everyone out looking for you but what would be the point in losing more people? And you managed to miss the entire of lunch as well, including the minister visiting, and bringing Percy with him! Oh Luna, you're completely soaked, Ginny go upstairs and fetch some spare clothes, bring at least two jumpers down." Molly fussed around the two, giving them mugs of hot chocolate and making sure the fire was as hot as it could be and performing those hot air charms that she was so good at so she could dry Luna's hair for the second time that day.

"You two must have had a nice long chat, did you go up to the bench?" Bill asked, smiling from his place at the table beside Fleur. Luna wondered if either of them had even moved since she and Charlie had left.

"Yes we did, the charms are still working thankfully and we chatted in comfort. Mum, seriously we're both fine. If either one of us was hurt you'd have realised by now and you'd be having a go at me either for not looking after myself or for not watching over Luna closely enough to make sure there wasn't even a stray leaf which could attach itself to her shoe and cause her distress by not coming off. Now if you'll just stop fussing, Luna and I have something to say."

"Would this something have anything to do with the music that suddenly came pouring from mine and George's wands?" Fred asked, looking at Luna and Charlie closely. Ron, in the middle of clearing various dishes from the table, stopped and gazed at Fred and George in confusion.

"But I thought that would only happen if... Ow! What was that for?" Ginny had pinched the back of Ron's neck quite fiercely and Charlie glimpsed two red crescent marks as his youngest brother turned to glare at Ginny.

"Shush, Charlie's trying to say something." She sat back down on the counter as Charlie stood up and placed a hand on Luna's shoulder, trying not to show his nerves. It would be that his entire family, plus Fleur, Harry, Lupin and Fred and George's shop assistant Verity, were present. Charlie found himself wondering how they were all managing to fit into the kitchen without the Burrow exploding. He took a deep breath.

"Fred and George's wands play Celestina Warbeck's 'You Charmed the Heart Right Out of Me' whenever there is a couple sitting on the bench in our Quidditch clearing, kissing. The bench also plays it, at a volume that's almost deafening with its loudness. Luna and I are dating and we have been for two years."


	10. Truth Doesn't Blind

Silence is a beautiful thing, sometimes. If you are in an empty field and it's silent, you can appreciate its beauty. The same goes for being caught in the middle of any area, when it's snowing gently because you can stop to appreciate the pureness of the snow and its colour and you can also relax, because there are no noises to disturb you from the splendour of the scene before you. Reading a book requires silence if you are to be completely absorbed into this book, whether by your own choice of reading a novel or by choice of your professor who wishes you to read something for class.

However, silence can also be a terrible thing. Somewhere in the world, there is always a terrible silence, even if we aren't aware of it. These silences can be terrible because they are for people who have died fighting, because you have stopped and are currently observing a scene so terrible that no sound can reach you in your stupor. Some silences are silences of shock and disgust, filled to the brim with tension as all those present wait for someone, anyone, to break the silence. Those present in the kitchen of the Burrow were currently experiencing one of these terrible, tension filled silences.

Charlie Weasley was aware of everything in the long moments of quiet which produced themselves after he spoke the words, the truth of his relationship with Luna Lovegood. He was aware of the lone drop of cold sweat which rolled down the back of his neck and soaked into the material of his t-shirt. He was aware of his heart which was pounding heavily and so loudly he worried that everyone could hear it, but then he realised he could feel Luna's pulse which was just as quick as his but there was no sound to give it away. He was also conscious of the fact that no-one in the kitchen seemed to be blinking.

There was sudden movement and Bill was by his side, clapping a hand to his shoulder and beaming at him.

"It's about bloody time you admitted to your secret relationship!" Was it just Charlie, or was Bill talking extremely loudly? His booming voice seemed to make Luna wince and Charlie relaxed slightly, realising it wasn't just him who thought so. "I've always wondered what was going on when you snuck out of the house, and you were always sending letters, but I had no idea it was Luna you were keeping a secret from us! Good for you Charlie, I hope you two are happy together." He moved back to Fleur and took her hand, silently leading her from her seat into the living room. The tension in the room seemed to break slightly as Ginny moved forwards next.

"Well, I've known since yesterday morning but I haven't been able to express my opinion to both of you so I guess now is as good an opportunity I'm going to get. I always thought there was chemistry between you two, ever since I learnt that chemistry isn't just a sort of science, not that I'm really sure what that is anyway. Muggles are so odd, but then I suppose they can't exactly do things as easily as we can... Anyway, I think you two are very well suited to each other and I hope nothing tries to come between you." She smiled sweetly, moved back to the table and began to clear more dishes.

Charlie looked back up anxiously. Verity had drifted through to the living room and he could hear her talking to Bill and Fleur, obviously she wasn't concerned as she didn't really know either of them. After a few minutes Lupin followed, never one to pass judgement on relationships. Ron, Harry, Fred, George and his parents hadn't moved and were all still staring at them. Luna shrunk back slightly and Harry seemed to shake himself out of a trance and came forward. The way they were all coming forward one at a time reminded Charlie of when Ginny had been born and everyone had gone up to Molly one by one to gaze at adorable baby Ginny while gushing away to Molly.

"It's quite a shock, I must admit, but it isn't an unpleasant one. I hope you two will be happy together." Harry glanced sneakily at Ginny who didn't acknowledge him, and made his way into the living room.

"Ummmmm..." Ron mumbled. "It's quite weird, to be honest, especially given that you, um, live in different countries and never see each other. And, er, I think it'd be quite uncomfortable for other people to be around a couple with an age difference of nine years..." he trailed off awkwardly and started to make his way into the living room but Ginny stopped him.

"Oh no you don't, I'm not clearing this entire table by myself, even if you are uncomfortable being around them." She glared fiercely at her brother who flushed red and started to gather plates, avoiding looking at Luna and Charlie.

"Well, that was no fun, because..."

"...we were hoping to embarrass you in front of everyone." The twins sighed unhappily but didn't move, both of them looking at Luna intensely. She shifted uneasily under their strong gaze and Charlie frowned reproachfully at his brothers but then turned his focus onto his parents.

"Mum... Dad...?" Charlie asked quietly, his voice uncertain. His mother blinked twice and concentrated her gaze on her second eldest.

"Well it's certainly a shock dear, and I can't say I'm pleased due to the age difference, but then it could be worse and you're obviously happy. And if you're happy then I'm happy, and happiness is all that matters I suppose?" She looked to her husband for support for a moment and seemed to gather some courage just from the sight of her partner regarding them calmly. "No, forget what I said. Of course I'm happy for you, you've always seemed to be the lonely one in the family but obviously you're not. Oh Charlie, how could you not tell us though? Two years? It's such a big secret to keep for such a long time." Molly smiled at them, patted her son's cheek and turned to the sink to instruct Ron and Ginny in how to properly wash dishes by hand.

"Charlie, you know you'll have to be careful," his father warned. "If anyone who isn't trustworthy finds out about you, they could let the ministry know that you're having an inappropriate relationship with a minor and you could be sent to Azkaban for at least two years, as it could be seen as rape." Arthur polished his glasses on the edge of his robes and put them back on, then peered at them, smiling slightly.

"We know the risks, Dad. Besides, neither of us are ready for that and I refuse to do anything more until Luna is of age, which is only two years away now. Actually, I told her we wouldn't be doing anything extremely serious until she's left school, in two and a half years." He squeezed Luna's shoulder and she smiled up at him.

"Well, if you're prepared to face the risks and take the consequences, then what can I say other than congratulations? I'm happy for you, son. I would never try to oppose you in a relationship, and who could be more suitable than one of Ginny's oldest, closest friends?" He nodded to the two of them and stood, kissing his wife's cheek and then making his way out of the door, looking haggard.

"Where's he going, Mum?" Charlie chuckled as Molly sighed, tutted and shooed Ron and Ginny into the living room so she could clear up their mess of bubbles and clean the dishes properly.

"Oh, he's just off to work, we received an owl just a few minutes before you two came back in with your news. Something about a wizard selling faulty Portkeys on Diagon Alley, apparently people touched them and reappeared ten miles away from their destination, some with Splinching effects similar to what happens when inexperienced people apparate without concentrating hard enough." She pointed her wand at the sink which filled with hot, soapy water and then watched with satisfaction as the dishes began to wash and dry themselves. "That should do it. Luna, be a dear and go and ask if anyone wants hot chocolate, please." Luna nodded and disappeared into the living room as Molly made her way over to the fireplace and stood beside her son who had sat down.

"Charlie, I'm not going to echo your father's warnings about being careful, because I know you will be, and obviously you've already been doing that as you've gone two years without anyone finding out, so you're clearly not being careless. But I am going to give you two other warnings." She sat down in Luna's vacated chair beside him.

"I'm listening, Mum."

"First of all, be wary of Fred and George. You may not be aware of this, but for some reason they aren't fond of Luna as we all are. I don't know why they don't like her, but you should know to be careful. I hope my own sons wouldn't attempt to ruin their own brother's happiness but I can never be sure with those two." Molly sighed and shook her head in an exasperated manner. "And secondly, know that if you hurt Luna, I don't think Ginny would stop to consider the fact that you're her brother. It is awfully strange to be warning one of my children against three of my other children but I felt I had to say something."

"Thanks for the warning, Mum. I know Fred and George, so I'll keep an eye on them but you don't need to worry about Ginny, I would never hurt Luna."

"Alright dear, I was less worried about Ginny anyway, as now that you've told us, it's obvious that you care a great deal for Luna. I wonder that we never noticed before, it just shows how good at acting you both are." Molly patted his cheek again and bustled over to the stove, pulling out a large pan as Luna came back into the room.

"Harry, Ginny, Ron, Bill and Verity all said yes please, Fleur declined and so did Professor Lupin because he says he's about to leave, and Fred and George weren't in the living room," Luna informed her as Lupin appeared in the doorway.

"There's no need to call me 'Professor' now Luna, I haven't been your teacher for nearly three years. Please, call me Remus as everyone else does. Molly, thank you for such a lovely dinner and for the wonderful company," He kissed Molly's cheek, then turned to Luna and Charlie. "Be careful, you two. I know from personal experience how some relationships can be deeply frowned upon. I, especially have to be careful if I am to have any relationships, given the nature of my... problem." His mouth twisted as he thought and then he seemed to shake himself out of a daze. "Anyway, congratulations and I hope you are happy." He nodded to them both and left.

"Luna, Charlie, would either of you like some hot chocolate?" A delicious smell was rising from a bubbling pot on the stove which Molly was watching closely, occasionally adding various spices.

"Oh, no thank you Mrs Weasley. I should probably get going, Daddy will be wondering where I am." Luna's eyes widened suddenly and she gasped. "Oh my goodness, he won't have had any lunch! I shouldn't have left him to fend for himself," she fretted, wringing her hands in distress.

"No worries dear, we've plenty left over from lunch and I never do like seeing things going to waste." Molly gestured to a few plates full of food, and a small jug of gravy. "You can take it home through the Floo Network."

"I probably wouldn't be able to, Daddy doesn't like keeping the fire on all day so he will have probably extinguished it all day. He says the smoke can affect the Dirigible Plums." Luna's eyes were still wide and she sighed unhappily.

"Well, Charlie why don't you apparate Luna home, then you can start a fire and I'll send it through?" Molly suggested and Luna hesitated before nodding.

"Thank you for your kindness, and the spare clothes." Luna was slightly shocked when Molly bustled over and enveloped her in a warm hug, but she relaxed into it with a soft sigh. It had been so long since she been hugged in such a motherly way. When she was released, Charlie folded her into her thick cloak and helped her pull her boots on before leading her out of the house and past the gate.

"Why do we have to go so far from the house?" Luna wondered, leaning against Charlie as he wrapped his arms around her.

"There's lots of spells up to protect Harry while he's here, so no-one unwelcome can apparate directly into the house and surprise us. Sure, they can still pass through the wards on foot but all our wands are keyed into the wards, so we'll feel if someone with dark intentions enters the area," he explained. "Have you apparated before?"

"Only once, when I was nine and Daddy had no other way of getting us to Ireland for funeral. I can't remember it at all though, I've tried to block out most of my bad memories from that year." Charlie hugged her close and dropped a kiss onto the top of her head.

"Hold on tight," he warned and turned them in a circle.

All the memories of apparition suddenly came rushing back to Luna as she was subjected to a feeling similar to being squeezed through a tube which was just a little bit too small for her. She felt like there was a metal circle around her body, squeezing in on all sides and forcing the air out of her. Thankfully, the sensation didn't last long and the tube relinquished her to the crisp air. She gulped in great breaths of the frosty night gratefully.

"Are you alright?" Charlie was gently rubbing her back as she breathed heavily. "It can be quite a shock to those not used to the phenomenon." Luna straightened up from her slightly bent position and smiled shakily at him.

"I'll be alright. Will I see you again before I go back to school?"

"Of course you will, I'll come by later. I still need to give you your present," he reminded her as she opened the gate and walked up the path to the front door.

"And after that?"

"I'll come up whenever I have time, and now that the family knows, you're perfectly welcome to pop by for lunch or something." Charlie smiled at her as they reached the door.

"Good, because I'm not quite ready to return to letters as our only means of communication."

"And the mirrors," Charlie said.

"How could I forget those? I'll see you later." Charlie's arms tightened around her waist and he bent down to press a gentle kiss to her lips.

"You will indeed, Merry Christmas Luna."

"Merry Christmas Charlie, hurry back." He chuckled and kissed her again then made his way back down the path and through the gate. She blew him a kiss as he waved and then watched as he turned and disappeared. Sighing softly she opened the door and stepped through, hurrying to start the fire up again.


End file.
